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“Luckily for you, the world doesn’t turn on a man’s opinion,” I shoot back. “Now, give me the money and then fuck off. I’m tired and I’m ready for bed.”
“Do you talk this way to all your partners?”
Taking a deep breath, I wonder if I should kill him now. I mean, then I could at least get some sleep, right?
“I’ve told you, you are not, nor ever will be, my partner. Now, drop the fucking money at my feet and leave.”
He kicks up a smile. I expect him to snark back—I almost look forward to it—but instead, he takes a few steps back, his gaze never leaving mine, and it’s somehow mocking and condescending. I want to punch him right in that immaculate jaw of his and wipe the smug expression from his features.
River reaches for a bag in the trunk of his car and casually carries it over, as if he has all day. He drops it at my feet. Clay steps forward and picks the bag up for me. I’ll be fucked if I’m kneeling in front of this man. When Clay brings it to me, I unzip the bag, reach in to check the contents, and when I see the money, I zip it up and take the bag. Then I turn straight for the door, Clay and Vance standing to cover my back in unison.
“Now we talk business,” River adds, as if I’ve missed some part of the transaction.
“Now I go to sleep.” I don’t bother looking back or waving goodbye as I walk into the mansion.
“Anya.” He says my name correctly this time, and a smile tugs at my lips, but I don’t give him the satisfaction of looking back. I know Clay and Vance won’t let him pass through. I drop the bag inside the door, purposely tearing off my clothes before my men close the door behind me.
This isn’t my main home, but at times, I’ll use the facilities here, just like now.
Naked, I walk toward the spare room without a care in the world. Except one. The only one that’s tormented me these past weeks. I press call on Alek’s number, and after a few rings, it goes straight to voicemail.
“You left me to deal with everything. Fucking left me!” I scream. “He’s annoying, and you should be here dealing with him. He thinks because I’m a woman that I am less, but I guess he doesn’t know me. Maybe I’ll blow up his pretty little car. Do you think I would prove my point then?”
I wait for a response, even though I know one will never come. Usually by now Alek would reprimand me to keep a cool head or encourage me to teach them a lesson. And although he is a man of few words, I miss his presence. I miss the calm and ease he always put over me since we were children.
But that’s not now. Something is shifting. This River guy brought a different energy with him. I’ve dealt with plenty of new blood on my own. Alek and I are a team and a unified front in most of our decisions. But it looks like I’ll be dealing with this one on my own.
I hang up, knowing he won’t talk back. It’s a voicemail after all. I sigh.
People ask for him, and I can’t keep them at bay forever. I don’t want to be alone in this business. For all its perks, we only pursued this because we had each other.
River is a nuisance. Ever demanding and arrogant.
I have to shake him.
But I know someone like him will not give up so easily.
Neither do I.
CHAPTER 4
River
She has sass, that one. More sass than any other woman I have ever fucking met.
I want to strangle it out of her and watch her gasp for air.
Yet, I’m also amused. If I wanted, I could use brute force, but I find myself rather enjoying the show that is Anya Ivanov. A diamond amongst the day-to-day grind of business dealings in the underworld. She’s as captivating as she is hard, and I can’t help but find myself intrigued.
The first week, she outright avoided any contact from my men, and especially from me. Anya is a slimy creature to get ahold of. If not for the fact she attends her auctions almost every time, she’s a hard woman to keep track of.
This week, I was ever so lucky to receive only one text, returning my multiple calls and messages. I stare at it again, almost in disbelief that she has the balls for such a forward reply.
Anya: I’ll reach out when I’m ready and can tolerate your presence. Wait patiently like a good boy. It will most likely be forever.
There was no query about how I obtained her number or email address. No mention of the money she’d taken from me. Nothing. And calling me a “good boy” really pisses me off.
Anya Ivanov is fucking bold and has bigger balls than most of the men I’ve met to leave me hanging on a thread like this.
